Tennis-ball and process of making same



W. I. ORR.

IENNIS BALL AND PROCESS oF MAKING SAME.

APPLICATION FILED AUG|51 I9I9.

Patented May 3, 1921.

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UNITED STATES PATENT orricr..

WILLIAM J'. ORR, 0F GHICOPEE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO A. G. SPALDING BROS., OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

TENNIS-BALL AND PROCESS 0F MAKING SAME.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. ORB, a citizen of the United States, resident of Chicopee, Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tennis.-

Balls and Processes of Making Same, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has 'for one of its objects to protect the seam of the fabric cover of a tennis ball.

As is well known to tennis players, the edges of the seam sometimes open and curl upafter the ball has been in play and this interferes with the Hight of the ball and renders it unfit for accuracy in play.

With a sewed seam the impact of the racket during hard play is apt to cause the seam to open as stated before. With my improvement the cover can be cemented in place on the rubber center, no sewing ofthe seam being required, and the seam will be protected against damage and the life of the ball will be increased.

In carrying out the invention the fabric cover is compressed at separated points along the seam, and thus permanent depressions are provided alternating with portions of the full thickness of the cover so that the 'depressed areas are protected from the strokes of the racket.

As these depressed portions in the aggregate extend along a considerable length of the seam, say one-half or more and as they are protected by the adjacent raised portion or portions of the full diameter, the edge of the seam along these depressions forms a uniting means of considerable extent and which is protected from the strokes of the racket and from direct contact with the ground, and thus provides what may Specication of Letters Patent.

bev termed sealing areas which will keep the Patented May 3, 1921.

Application led August 5, 1919. Serial No. 315,508.

new, has a nap or loose fiber surface which acts to control the flight of the ball. In

play, however, this nap soon wears off and i this controlling factor then is lost.

With my improvement, however, the function of theiibrous surface so far as controlling the flight of the ball is concerned, will still be performed after the ball becomes worn because of the presence of depressions 8 inthe surface of the fabric cover, said depressions being distributed over the entire surface of the ball in order to get this controlling effect.

The depressed portions of the fabric also perform another important function in providing protected sealing means for uniting the cover with the rubber center. For this purpose the depressions include portions of the edges at the seam. In the particular construction shown these depressions cross the seam as shown at l and preferably they are bisected by the seam so that equal areas .of the de ressed portions will lie on opposite sides o the seam. These depressed portions will be protected from frictional contact of the racket and of the ground because they are surrounded by portions of .the cover of the full thickness and these will in affect protect the sealing areas at separated points along the seam and thus a cemented seam may be employed and a-durable ball provided, thus dispensing with the sewing operation and also dispensing with the liability of the sewed seam to open up because of the breaking of the thread due to the cutting action of the racket or contact with the ground. Y e

I am aware, of course, that golf ballsare provided with dimples or pit-s to control the flight, but so far as I know, a. fabric covered tennis ball having depressions in the fabric surface has never been proposed heretofore.

In order to provide the ball of the construction above described having the rubber center of substantially ordinary form and a. fabric cover with separated depressed areas in its fabric surface, a `special course of manufacture is employed and in carrying out this special method, the rubber center is first molded in a smooth spherical shape. This center is then covered with cement. The felt cover is died .out of proper shape and is likewise covered on the inside with cement and placed in position on the rubber center. rThe ball is then placed ina two piece mold which has a negative of the surface markin s desired to be provided in the felt cover. he felt being of standard thick-- ness greater compression is obtained over certain parts of the fabric by reason of the protruding surface or projections on the mold, and in this way the felt is permanently compressed to form the depressed areas. f

I claim asmy invention:

1. A tennis ball having a hollow rubber center with a fabric cover,'said fabric cover applied directly to the rubber having depressions molded in its surface, substantially as described. f

2. A tennis ball having a hollow rubber center with a fabric cover, said fabric cover applied directly to the rubber having spaced apart depressions molded in its outer surface along the seam, substantially `as described.

3. A tennis ball havinga hollow rubber center with a fabric cover, saidfabric cover applied directly to the rubber having depressions molded in its outer surface spaced apart along the seam, said depressions extending l.across the seam, substantially as described.

lraised portions, substantially as described.

'5. A tennis ball having a hollow rubber center with a fabric cover cemented thereon and with depressions molded in the fabric cover, substantially as described.

6. A tennis ball having a hollow rubber center with a fabric cover cemented thereon, and with depressions molded in said fabric cover spaced apart along the cemented seam, substantially as described.

7 The herein described method of making a tennis ball consisting in covering a rubber center'with fabric cemented thereto and then subjecting the ball to a molding action within a mold having projections on its interior surface to compress the fabric cover at separated areas, substantially as described.

WILLIAM J. oRR. 

